Apple Pay goes live in Ukraine

Apple Pay continues its growth around the world. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Pay has launched in Ukraine, a move that was officially announced by the country’s finance minister Oleksandr Danyliuk on Facebook.

At present, Apple Pay is supported by Ukraine’s nationalized PrivatBank, with the State Savings Bank of Ukraine, a.k.a. Oschadbank, set to follow in the near future.

Tim Cook revealed that Apple Pay would land in Ukraine during the company’s most recent earnings call, also mentioning Poland and Norway as upcoming countries set to embrace the mobile payments system.

Apple Pay continues its rapid growth

In total, Apple Pay is now available in 27 countries, having first launched in the United States back in October 2014. Prior to Ukraine, the most recent country Apple Pay arrived in was Brazil, which went live in early April as the first South American country to support the service.

Tim Cook has previously admitted that, “Mobile payments have taken off slower than I personally would have thought if you asked me sitting here a few years ago.” A big hurdle that Apple Pay is getting merchants to accept the payment technology, as well as teaching iPhone users to use the service.

However, the company is slowly making inroads. According to one report, based on figures drawn up by analyst Gene Munster, Apple Pay currently has an estimated active user base in excess of 127 million people. That represents an increase of more than double the 62 million who used it this time last year.